A Few Things About Kittens

First of all, I'd like to state up-front that there are no new kitten pictures to share.  That is because kittens either run full speed ahead (and my iPhone camera is just not enough to keep up with them) or they are asleep in a pile.  But I've been wanting to update, so decided to do so tonight, with or without pictures.

We have had a good time with our kitten fosters.  It's been a long time, however, since I've been around kittens though, and so it was like a new experience all over for me.  As a "newbie" with kittens, here are some of my observations:

1.  Kittens are made out of bouncy balls.  They can ricochet off of walls, radiators, me, the sink, into the trashcan, back out of the trashcan, with no harm done to themselves.

2.  Kittens are masters of destruction.  I turned my back for 30 seconds to get their food ready and when I turned back around the bag of nasty dirty litter was overturned and spilling out onto the freshly swept floor, and my iPhone was upside-down in the newly cleaned litter box.

3.  Kittens know NO fear.  Which is why ours spend their unsupervised time in a large crate.  It is to protect them (and my house.)  They are fascinated with the dogs, and want to play with them very badly.  They climb my shower curtains, and do all sorts of feats of daring with absolutely no regard for their own skins.  One dove head-first into my bath with me tonight.  I had to spend quite a long time finger-combing and drying her out in front of the portable heater so that she wouldn't get chilled.

4.  Worming medicine works fast on kittens of this size.  And let me tell you, you haven't experienced life until you find one of your kittens...  umm.... oozing out a tapeworm.  Blech!

5.  It's amazing how quickly kittens adapt to having humans around.  I am their favorite jungle gym, climbing wall, spring-board, trampoline, and that I am their primary food-giver doesn't hurt.

6.  Kittens will decide that it is time to snuggle, and that is that.  There are a couple that climb up my torso if I'm sitting on the floor with them and cuddle either under my chin or into my hair.  Sanitary?  Probably not.  But do I care?  Not a bit.  How can one possibly care about that when there is a purring kitten under your chin?

I've named them.  It took me awhile, because in the beginning, they all looked like black cats to me, and I couldn't tell most of them apart.  But I've learned to look for those tiny distinguishing features.

So, the roster is:  Ophelia, Hamlet, Horatio, Lara, Violet, and Ellie.

Lara is the one that dove into the tub, and she has the least amount of concern regarding her own survivability.  I'm pretty sure it was also her that bapped Maera on the nose when Maera stuck her nose up to their crate, and it was probably her that climbed the radiator grill the other night too.

Ophelia is the biggest and fluffiest.  She is also The Boss and does not let the other kittens forget it.  Horatio is a scrappy but affectionate little guy, who also serves as Ophelia's chief enforcer/right-hand-man when it comes to bossing around the other kittens.

Hamlet talks a lot to get my attention, and he also does this little high-pitched whine-growl while he eats.  I haven't decided whether he's warning the other kittens away from his meal or he just likes to sing.  He is the second largest and fluffiest, though doesn't really have any interest in being "in charge."

Ellie was the first one named, because she has a rather obvious white splash on her underside.  She is a sweet-natured little girl, and is one of those that like to snuggle with me.  She was the first one to ever purr for me, so I'm particularly fond of her.

Violet is a sweet-heart as well, though I do think that she's training to be a wire-fu artist.  She doesn't leap so much as hover in the air when she's pouncing on her siblings, hovering into open bags of cat food, etc.

No, I'm not attached at all.  I'm going to be sad to take them back next week, I'm sure.